1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a method and system for providing web-based life event information. More particularly the invention relates to systems and methods for providing a single point of entry for a user to interface with multiple government-provided services. Through the single point of entry the user may access government services such as postage, passport services, birth records, and driver's license information. The invention also relates to the selective placement of publicly accessible computers in public settings such as post offices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Communication technology allows individuals to access many kinds and sources of information. Members of the public may seek or receive information through a variety of means. The Internet in particular has increased the options that individuals and institutions have to receive information as well as services. With a personal computer and Internet connection members of the public may gather materials, documents, forms, data, and other kinds of information available on Internet web sites.
The growth of computer technology in recent years has also enabled governmental bodies and agencies to store significant amounts of data. Electronic storage capabilities allow government agencies to store information in electronic form rather than paper form. Further much of the data that is available in government archives is being converted into electronic form. Much of the information stored on government computers is information that is open to public access. Consequently there is at present a vast body of information and data, maintained by government bodies, that could be accessed by the public through the Internet. Nevertheless there are several obstacles that prevent this from happening.
Currently some government information is available by Internet access; however, much information is not. Further there is no uniformity in the collection and presentation of government data and information. Consequently, the citizen, user, or consumer who seeks to find and use government information is first presented with the task of searching for the information that he desires. When an individual locates government-hosted sites they may present information to the public in a variety of different formats and modes. Additionally, there is no means at present to provide a common point of access to data from different levels of government and from different branches of the government. For example, information from the federal government is typically found at present on web sites hosted by a federal agency, and information from state government, county government, and local government is found on separately maintained web sites. Even within a single level of government, such as federal agencies of the executive branch, web sites are separately maintained. Thus the user at present faces a bewildering array of searches, options, and presentations in order to find and retrieve government information.
To the extent government information is available in order to successfully reach such information one must be not only skilled in computer technology (“computer literate”), one must also be savvy or knowledgeable in the methods and techniques of searching for such information. Sadly, this is a real obstacle at present for many Americans. While some individuals may successfully navigate the Internet and search out some of the information they desire, some cannot. And if an individual does successfully obtain some government information, they may nevertheless not be able to access other, more difficult information, or they may be discouraged. Thus significant numbers do not make full use of the efficiencies of Internet access because of complicated methods of presentation.
Moreover, the interaction that an individual may typically engage with a governmental body, through Internet access, is passive in nature. For example, an individual may download forms or obtain government reports and records. In this case the user is merely receiving information. However, in many instances the individual desires to submit information to the government, for example a reservation for a campsite in a national park, or a change of address notice to a state driver's license authority. Typically, if an individual wishes to submit information to a governmental entity, he may download a form and fill out the form, but he must mail or physically deliver the completed form to the governmental entity. And again, when certain government entities do allow the public to submit information via computerized connection, this is an isolated and uncoordinated form of access.
In particular, there is presently no effort to provide life event information to the public through computerized Internet access. Life event information is that government-maintained information that is of key significance to the citizen. It includes information such as citizenship status, immigration records, birth information, marital information, death information, and social security records. Life event information could also include passport information, educational records, and military records. It would be most desirable to provide this information through publicly accessible kiosks. Such kiosks would be computers with Internet access.
There is a final obstacle to granting public Internet access to government information and services. In order to do this a member of the public must have access to a computer with an Internet connection. This is far from a universal national practice. It is proposed to overcome this obstacle by providing computerized Internet access in public locations. In particular, it would be most desirable to include among the locations where such publicly accessible computers are placed, offices of the United States Postal Service.
Accordingly, there is a need for government information to be provided to the public through computerized Internet access. The life event server system should provide a common point of entry or access point. The system should provide life event information that members of the public could access. Ideally the system would be simple so that persons of moderate computer skill could utilize it. The life event server system would provide, through one access point, information from a variety of different governmental entities. In a further embodiment, the system would allow a user to interact with a government entity by submitting information to the governmental entity. It would be desirable to provide a method that obtains the advantages of the present system while minimizing the need for expensive automated equipment.